1In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built up Ramah, to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.
2Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and he sent to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,
3“Let there be a treaty between me and you, as between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
4And Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storehouse-cities of Naphtali.
5And it happened, when Baasha heard of it, that he ceased building up Ramah and put a stop to his work.
6Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and he built up Geba and Mizpah with them.
7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and did not rely on Yahweh your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
8Were not the Cushites and the Libyans a vast army, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on Yahweh, he gave them into your hand.
9For the eyes of Yahweh range throughout all the earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is whole toward him. You have acted foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”
10Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the house of the stocks, for he was in a rage with him over this. And Asa crushed some of the people at that time.
11And behold, the acts of Asa, the earlier and the later ones, they are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet, until his illness was very severe; yet even in his illness he did not seek Yahweh, but only the physicians.
13So Asa slept with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14And they buried him in his own tomb, which he had cut out for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with spices and various kinds prepared by the perfumer’s art, and they made for him a very great burning.
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